Video - National Aboriginal Veterans Monument – Decoding ART - Heritage Monuments
Transcript of National Aboriginal Veterans Monument
[Canadian Heritage signature]
Narrator: "This capsule is presented by Canadian Heritage."
[Noel Lloyd Pinay, Aboriginal artist, his hand in the mouth of the sculpture of a bear]
Narrator: "When he created this first monument dedicated to Aboriginal veterans in Canada, artist Noel Lloyd Pinay, of the Peepeekisis First Nation in Saskatchewan, was inspired by the memory of his father, a veteran of the Second World War.”
[Drawings of the sculpture]
This richly symbolic bronze sculpture represents the stories of thousands of men and women who have played a decisive role in defending the freedom of our country.”
[The bronze sculpture]
The artist makes frequent use of the circle and the number 4, which has spiritual importance for many Aboriginal peoples. The four warriors (two men and two women), which represent the diversity of First Nations, Metis and Inuit people, are facing the four points of the compass.”
[Close-up of different parts of the sculpture]
Narrator: “They are guided by the spirits of four animals, which lead them to peace and victory.
These spirit guides are associated with qualities that are admired by Aboriginal cultures: the elk, for its wariness, the buffalo, for its tenacity, the bear, for its healing powers and the wolf, for its family values. A thunderbird is perched at the top of the sculpture.
It represents the Creator, and embodies the spirit of the Aboriginal peoples of Canada.”
[The bronze sculpture as a whole]
Narrator: “Looking closely at the sculpture, one can observe how the artist has conveyed a sense of balance by representing opposites: two predators and two prey, two women and two men, two weapons and two spiritual objects — the eagle feather fan and the peace pipe.
Through this work, Pinay expresses the idea that the desire for peace often lies at the root of war."
[Canada wordmark]
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